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The best evidence yet that this is really going to happen

Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to make it to The Rocketship for Opening Night in Japan/Opening Early Morning in America. I will instead be celebrating Opening Day next Monday, the way it’s supposed to be, here in my non-named apartment. Sometimes it’s advantageous to have a Tuesday-Saturday work schedule.

However, in celebration of the impending start of the season, I have a sudden flurry of news. First of all, they may have annoying pop-under ads on other web sites, but it turns out that Orbitz is very good at letting you know that Burbank-to-Chicago fares have suddenly plummeted to the extent that they’re cheaper than fares from LAX.

Plane ticket in hand (well, e-ticket confirmation printout in hand), I went ahead and booked the rental car for the trip, following a certain amount of sleuthing. The only rental car agencies serving O’Hare International Airport that had deals with fully unlimited mileage and unequivocally said it was okay to drive their cars into Canada were the big two, Avis and Hertz. And Hertz was cheaper, thanks largely to their AAA member discount.

Thinking of the portions of the trip where there will be hangers-on, I reserved a “full size” car, which to Hertz means “Ford Taurus or similar.” Consumer Reports says that the Taurus is “roomy and comfortable with a decent ride and a spacious rear seat and trunk,” and that “[t]he bland but well-assembled interior has a comfortable driving position for most.” (Actually, the last time I rented from Hertz, I got the “or similar”: a Toyota Corolla instead of a Ford Focus.)

It occurs to me that I’ve made one crucial assumption, and perhaps I should ask: hey, Levi, how do you feel about taking the ‘L’ to O’Hare after work on Thursday, August 19th, to meet me, so you can sign yourself up to be the Additional Authorized Operator on the rental car?

All of this is now reflected on the itinerary. Now I’m off to the ophthalmologist, because I want to make sure I will be able to see all of these baseball games perfectly.